Runaway Scars and The Getaway Mile

"How is she?" I lifted my head from Party's shoulder and looked up when I heard the familiar voice of Kobra Kid who'd returned with the boys and Bluejay from Dr. D's radio shack hideout.

"I think it's passed, it's just the after effects we have to worry about." Party replied, answering to me since I was completely worn out from a whole afternoon of balling my eyes out and illegible rambling.

After the brief flash of memories it seemed like the smallest thing could make me cry and it was horrible. My eyes felt sore and I don't think I had a drop of water left in my whole body, I cried it all out and my tears were in only two places. Soaked into Party Poison's jacket or turning the sand into a weird kinda mud.

I didn't want to do anything but sit on my sleeping bag and have Party hug me. When he talked his voice was so soothing and it took away the weight that seemed to always rest on my shoulder, waiting for me to fall face first on the ground. I'd gone from feeling strong and confident to being overwhelmed and lost. It was like I had a map and someone suddenly snatched it away from me and I had no idea where I was going.

Kobra dragged a log over to the big fire and threw it onto the dead embers, getting ready to light the fire since the sun was starting to fall in the sky and it was getting darker. Because the Killjoys didn't have any torches everything that they had to do needed to be dine before nighttime, otherwise it was bad luck.

They had a generator in the back of the trans am but according to Ghoul it was only for extreme emergencies when they really needed the light, like a drac showing up and wanting a firefight.
It was strange to think I spent an entire day acting like a complete sissy while the group did important things.

"If it makes you feel any better we've got actual food tonight." Ghoul said, pulling two crates out of the boot of the car and putting them next to a log before sitting down and picking up tins and plastic packets.

"No Power Pup?" I asked, using my voice properly for the first time in hours.

"No Power Pup, unless you've decided you like it..." What he said was almost laughable, it was practically the same as asking me if I've decided like draculoids, it's a no and will always be one huge no.

"Give me food, I don't care what it is." Beside me Party chuckled and nudged my side slightly finding my obsession with having something edible around the campsite funny.

"What's on the menu?" Jet wondered, holding up a comic in his hands high enough for Girl to read the faded panels over his shoulder as they sat together on a log.

"Rice, lentils and some kinda curry sauce." Kobra scowled, not appearing to like what the crate had to offer but to me the meal sounded like heaven or at least a hell lot better than the regular crappy canned dog food that I wouldn't feed to a pet in a million years.

I sighed at the thought of real food and leant against Party as Kobra continued to throw logs onto the bonfire, building it up big enough to last the night and into the late to rise morning. It'd also needed to be hot enough to keep the six of us warm as the temperature plummeted the second it hit seven.

"Party, I nearly forgot. Doc picked these up and told me to give them to you." Barely throwing a glance in the redheads direction Kobra threw a packet of something towards Poison who easily caught it.

"Ah, marlboro reds, it's been ages since I last saw these sold over a counter." Party opened the packet and pulled out a white and yellow stick that appeared to be stuffed with a herb or something.

"What's that." I pointed at the stick, my brain not managing to identify it as anything even if it'd been around before I woke up in 2019.

"A cigarette." He said, holding the 'cigarette' between his pointer and middle finger and standing up before walking over to the bonfire Kobra was leaning over to light with a basic matchstick.

"And..."

"It's incredibly unhealthy yet I smoke it anyway because I'll probably be a ghost in a couple of years so the threat of cancer is practically nonexistent." He shrugged and put the tip of the cigarette into the now lit fire before taking it away a couple of seconds later.

Party put the cigarette between his lips and walked to the car, grabbing the final required item for the night. Their highly valued and self-made radio that allowed them to get all the important transmissions from Dr. D and of course it acted as a way of listening to music when things got too quiet and conversation wasn't needed.

Fun pulled a metal tray out of one of the crates and started putting food on it, prepping dinner before Kobra stopped him by snatching the tray away.

"What's that for?"

"You can't cook to save your life, do you think I'm gonna let you burn the food?" Kobra asked, Ghoul didn't bother to answer and acted as if he'd received a blessing and dodged a bullet by not having to cook.

Poison put the radio next to the sleeping bag I was sitting on and dropped beside me before pulling the radio over enough to get it to the channel it should be on. There was the sound of crackling and static before the smooth voice of Dr. D, the radio pirate Killjoy kicked in and Party upthrust the volume.

"Hello out there monochrome city runaways, this is your surgeon speaking. Yes it's old man Death Defying, comin' straight at you from the little nest I call home. I know things have gotten a bit milkshake tonight so I thought I'd send some warbles from back in the day to warm you up. Nineteen sixty nine, a time when the methane sky was clearer, the water was cleaner and the night air was a little less chillier. Here's a bit of Bowie and to keep you company his close friend Major Tom with a little Space Oddity thrown in for good measure."

I turned to look at Party who was surrounded by a halo of smoke as the transmission ended and the music swelled to a more than grand opening.

'Ground Control to Major Tom, ground Control to Major Tom. Take your protein pills and put your helmet on. Ground Control to Major Tom. Commencing countdown, engines on. Check ignition and may God's love be with you.' I leant forward and turned the music up even louder so it echoed throughout the whole campsite, even the coyotes howling in the distance would have been able to hear.

'Ten, Nine, Eight, Seven, Six, Five, Four, Three, Two, One, Liftoff.' Party rose and extended his hand to me and I grasped it before being helped up off the ground so I was standing beside him.

"The guys are gonna take a while, I want to show you something." He linked his fingers with mine and pulled me along, away from the light of the campfire and across the sand, towards the place the sun was about to set, leaving the sky a foggy mixture of pastel yellows, reds and oranges.

'This is Ground Control to Major Tom. You've really made the grade. And the papers want to know whose shirts you wear. Now it's time to leave the capsule if you dare.' Party abruptly stopped and tugged me back when I almost took a step to far and walked off the edge of a cliff. Yes, I mean a literal cliff, not a metaphorical artsy kind.

He sat down with his legs dangling over the side and patted the ground next to him, an invitation and I joined him, making myself as comfortable as I could on the small rocks, grit and cigarette ash.

'This is Major Tom to Ground Control. I'm stepping through the door and I'm floating in a most peculiar way. And the stars look very different today.' The sky was beautiful and the place the sun used to occupy was taken up but the almost translucent moon waiting for its turn to shine.

"I remember all the way back in two thousand and ten, I would have been eleven, maybe twelve," Party murmured, smoking with one hand and tracing circles on my palm with the other, "I'd sit on the roof of my parents house and watch the sun go down, right until the stars started to come up and Mom would call me in for dinner."

'For here, am I sitting in a tin can? Far above the world. Planet Earth is blue and there's nothing I can do.'

"Everything, even the night was so clear then...like a crystal and it was so peaceful. Then the fires came and they destroyed everything but the sky, it still remained the same, maybe a little cloudier but it was the same sky I knew." He seemed to disappear into his own head and he could have just as easily been talking to himself while I eavesdropped.

'Though I'm past one hundred thousand miles I'm feeling very still and I think my spaceship knows which way to go. Tell my wife I love her very much she knows.'

"After that, Better Living took over and they started building these factories that'd emit so much smog. It just blanketed everything it touched, it was like it clung to your skin. If I went too close I'd feel like I was choking and it was awful. That's when it became difficult to see the stars it's like the smoke rose too high and got stuck. I'd only be able to see the stars every few months, it was a novelty at best." Party put his cigarette on the ground next to him and pointed at the sky that was nearly dark and had slowly become a pale shade of blue.

"It's been like that ever since twenty thirteen, no change at all. The methane's been thicker this year and I haven't seen anything for a while but then I was looking up at the sky a couple of nights ago, the day before you showed up actually and I felt really confused because suddenly I could see all the stars. It was the same as it'd been when I was a kid." A smile started to creep up on my face from hearing the untainted sweetness in his voice as he put his head on my shoulder, a habit he seemed to have picked up.

'Ground Control to Major Tom. Your circuit's dead, there's something wrong. Can you hear me, Major Tom? Can you hear me, Major Tom? Can you hear me, Major Tom? Can you....here am I floating round my tin can. Far above the Moon. Planet Earth is blue and there's nothing I can do.'

"I don't know why but, but I feel like you waking up has just set something in motion. I don't know what yet but it's gonna be big." Once he was finished talking we sat in silence, watching as the horizon turned an inky black with the only light for miles being that of the campfire the guys were sitting around.

"I don't know how I could cause anything dramatic to happen." I mumbled as he brought his almost finished cigarette to his lips.

"You're more special than you realise."

"Party, I could be completely ordinary and you just haven't noticed yet." I said swinging my legs back and forth then wrapping my jacket tighter around my torso thanks to the cold air kicking in.

"I've spent the past eight years living on the outskirts of a city that enforces normal and common, you, my dear are so far from ordinary you radiate your own light." My cheeks started to go red, I have kissed Party and thought some rather inappropriate thoughts about him but that didn't mean I was unable to have a tiny bout of shyness.

"We've barely known each other for five days. Technically we shouldn't even be kissing." I whispered to myself, saying my own thoughts out loud and ignoring the fact Party would be listening.

"Out here in the desert, things like that don't matter. We could die at any second. My motto's 'live before you're numb'. It basically means enjoy your life as much as possible before Bat City ram their 'magic' pills down your throat." It seemed like a good way to live, no rules, no regrets, I'd be happy to spend the rest of my life like that. There was just one small nagging thought.

"When you kiss me...is that just because you can or is it because you want to?" I asked and Party lifted his head, frowning ever so slightly.

"I don't understand."

"Well, when you first started flirting with me, did you do it because you wanted to kiss me and you actually liked me as a person or was it because you thought I was reasonably good looking and would be fun to fool around with, with no emotional attachments whatsoever?" His frown became more prominent and he moved back before laughing loudly and stubbing his cigarette out on a red rock.

"Um, because you're you of course." My mouth fell open in response.

"You hesitated." I said, accusing him of the obvious and moving away.

"No I didn't." He protested, throwing a rock next to him off into the darkness and huffing as if what I was saying is ridiculous.

"Yes you did!" I stood up, feeling less than impressed by his lying and now wanting to go back to the camp so I can just eat dinner and go to sleep.

"Alright fine, maybe I wanted to get you into bed when we first met, so what?" I gasped out of anger and shock then turned away, deciding I didn't want to talk to him anymore and that whatever else I could say would just be a waste of time.
I huffed and started walking away, Party instantly scrabbling to stand up and catch me.

"Electric, don't be like that." I started to jog, not risking him stopping me with that dumb freaking smile or gorgeous hazel eyes, just all 'round his stupid face.

"Fuck your world." Was all I said, crossing my arms over my chest and slowing to a march when Ghoul, Kobra, Jet and Bluejay came into view.

"What's the matter?" Kobra put a hand on my shoulder to get me to stop and I looked up at him, a scowl on my face from the recent news that the guy I really liked was only interested in the prospect of getting into my pants.

"He's an asshole who just wanted to sleep with me." I pointed at Poison then sat on a log next to Ghoul, sulking and disappointed.

"Pay up." Kid said, staring at Jet who was on his sleeping bag playing with some strange glove thing with wires coming out of it.

The glove was thrown to Kobra and he gave Jet a grin of satisfaction before noticing the death glare he was getting from an already ill-tempered Party Poison.

"Why is Jet paying up?"

"We made a bet on how fast you'd put your boot in that pretty boy mouth of yours." Ghoul put a spoonful of the now cooked dinner in his mouth and shrugged when the glare was transferred to him.

"Hang on, why were you betting about that?" I interjected, Party and the rest of the guys were on the same page but I had no idea what was going on and wanted everything to be explained before my curiosity got the best of me and I lost the bad mood I was doing a good job of sustaining.

"Party's, how can you say...uh gifted when it comes to seducing people but he's very awkward and easily screws up his words. We were betting on how long it'd take for him to admit he wanted in your panties. I said five days, Jet said a week and Ghoul went for a month, I won and got Jet's power glove." Kobra grinned at me and pulled the weird creation onto his hand before admiring it like it was some sort of trophy.

Oh wonderful, so they also knew that Party was one giant player.

"You're my brother and you were betting against me?!" Poison shouted and I tuned out, having no more interest in what was now his problem, I was hungry, tired and wanted to get away from the redhead and his apologetic tone.

Ghoul saw me walking over to him and handed me a plastic plate heaped with rice, lentils and the curry sauce he mentioned earlier. My stomach let out a growl as I put a spoonful of food into my mouth and I sighed with contentment from the wonderful feeling of having a decent meal in me.

I appreciated Ghoul didn't try to make any jokes about Party and I and enjoyed being able to eat in mild silence, apart from the fact Poison on Kobra were standing near the car and arguing at the top of their lungs. Party didn't like how Kid set up a bet system and Kid was just trying to defend himself as well as he could.

More songs poured from the radio, some old and some from the early two thousands. I didn't recognise any of them but enjoyed the music nonetheless. It had complex guitar riffs and hypnotising drum patterns, like the music the Killjoys would play.

'I got a bulletproof heart. You got a hollow-point smile. Me and your runaway scars got a photograph dream on the getaway mile.' Fuck you brain, I don't need to think about Party's stupid music with him trying to seduce me, he's a player and he doesn't deserve my attention or my valuable time.

'But why would he sing something like that to me if he only wanted sex?' The more girly, forgiving part of my brain asked, wanting a reason to go jump on Party and kiss him like I have since the moment I met him.
He did kinda try to explain, I have to give him that much.

"Electric, you look sad. What's wrong?" Girl asked half an hour later when Jet was walking around collecting plates from the group who had finally settled down with all their arguments and eaten dinner.

"I found out something I didn't like about Party earlier and its made me feel upset." I explained in the simplest way I could, after all Bluejay was still a kid and wouldn't have to concern herself with boys or sex for a long time.

"What did he do?" I noticed Party had looked up from his notebook and was very obviously listening in on the conversation I was having.

"He doesn't like me the same way I like him." I told her, trying to pretend I couldn't feel Poison's eyes on me, he's probably just trying to get me to look at him so he can get some kind of satisfaction from knowing he can get my attention easily.

"Isn't there just one kind of like?" It was strange having a conversation about liking someone with a kid and I was unsure how far I could go exactly when explaining something this complicated to a child.

"No there's many sorts. There's how you feel when you have a toy, that robot of yours for example. When your friends with someone that's another like. Really enjoying a special kind of food is a like. You've seen Ghoul and Sunshine together, that's a form of like." This is probably gotta be the most complicated thing to describe ever, especially since I didn't get anytime to think over what to say.

"How do you like Party?" Was her next question which caused my eyebrows to go up.

"Right now I have a very special kind of 'like' for Party Poison." I said, through gritted teeth, not wanting to say I could fall for him or the fact I also hated him just as much.

Girl slowly nodded, absorbing my words then going still, a small furrow appeared in her brow as if she were thinking about something of high importance before she turned to Poison who had gone back to his drawing or writing or whatever it is he does with that thing all night and day.

"Party, how do you like Electric?" He lifted his eyes, seeming unsure as to whether or not it was safe to answer with the mood he'd put me in, it was like watching a turtle come out of it's shell and checking to see if the coast was clear.

"Um..."
"Probably as if I'm a toy." I muttered under my breath, crossing my arms and clenching my jaw.

"Uh, there's another like 'Lectric didn't mention." Well that was a fucking wonderful job of answering without actually answering.

"Oh and what would that be?" I asked bitchily, resting my elbow on my knee and cupping my chin with my palm, narrowing my eyes at him but at the same time wondering how I went from being all over him to half hating him.

"There's the feeling you get when you enter into something with the same old plan in mind then you
suddenly realise you're tired of it. You want something to be permanent and you believe you've found the person you want to spend all your time with, whether it's sitting in front of the methane sky or hiding away from the acid rain. It's very special and it's the best feeling in the earth when it happens." I caught myself reluctantly smiling and the girly party I usually held back was giggling and flapping her hands around like a true moron. Out of all the lines Party could have came up with, that one made me the happiest.

I got an almost guilty smile from Party before he looked away and went back to his notebook, allowing Girl to feel satisfied by the answer she received and managing to make me feel kinda bad at the same time.

"Okay, I've had it for the night," I said, rising from the log and shrugging my jacket off, "I'm going to bed." I walked over to my sleeping bag that I'd moved closer to the fire earlier and climbed in, only stopping to kick my boots off.

I didn't go to sleep right away, I stayed up for a little while, long past the time Ghoul, Jet, Kobra and Girl turned in. Trying to watch Party as inconspicuously as possible then switching to look at the stars when I felt like he could notice. I don't understand how he could say it's easier to see the sky, to me everything appeared to be completely blocked out by the haze of atmospheric methane, it could have been beautiful but the stars would be better.

Despite having the fire on my side it didn't take long for my body to respond to the quickly plummeting temperature. I was on the verge of rolling over into freezing to death and it acted as a reminder I wasn't used to being so cold. My first night here I'd been so exhausted I managed to sleep until morning, the second I was drunk tired and slept inside and the third I'd woken up to a fit of shakes and was invited by Party into his sleeping bag so he could act as a human hot water bottle.

So this was the first night I've had to deal with the cold while being reasonably awake and sober without the aid of another person to keep me warm. If I asked I reckon Party would offer to sleep in with me but I was determined to stay angry at him and keep my mouth shut. I could easily pictures his arms around me and the comforting rise and fall of his chest but I need to stay strong and not crumble like a clump of sand.

Instead I grabbed my jacket from beside me, pulled it on and wrapped it as tightly around me as I could, hoping it'd protect my arms and keep them warm while I tried to coax my brain into letting go and powering down for a little while.

Of course it didn't help that I was kept up by my increasing level of thoughts.
Maybe I was overreacting about the whole thing, could it be the after effects of that food I was stupid enough to eat? I understood it'd make me a lot more sensitive to everything going on around me, there's a chance I could have blown everything out of proportion and simply be acting like a bitch but judging by what he admitted to, everything I've said and done is reasonable.

If I still feel the same tomorrow about him I'll just refuse to kiss him again, simple as that and if my feelings change then he better be willing to apologise for how he started out this relationship thing we have.

A series of trembles took over me and I pulled the edge of my jacket up to my ear, praying it'd keep me warm then burying my head in the crook of my arm. I don't understand how it can so fucking cold out here, during day it's hot enough to make you sweat then the second night comes. Bam! Down goes the mercury like a satellite falling to earth.

The desert is one bloody confusing place.

Across from me there was a sigh and I lifted my head enough to see Party Poison sitting on his sleeping bag with his chin propped on his knees as he held his sketchbook in front of him, squinting at the paper for a moment before his face dissolved into a look of disappointment, followed up by yet another sigh. He put the book beside him, ripped out a page and crumpled it up before tossing the paper ball towards the fire which missed and rolled towards me.

Party didn't seem to notice and pulled off his signature red, white and blue jacket then dropped it in a heap on the ground beside him. I couldn't understand how he could cope with the cold but it didn't seem to annoy him when he lay on top of the sleeping bag, arms crossed behind his head, staring up at the stars. I secretly watched him for a bit longer, until his eyes closed and he rolled over with his back to the sleeping group.

I noticed that the thrown away piece of paper from Poison's notebook was only a couple of feet away and I reached out to grab it, wanting to see what it was he would be crazy enough to toss. I've read his song lyrics and they're amazing and I've seen a couple of his sketches which look awesome as well, I can't imagine him not liking his work. I reached out and picked the ball up then slowly unwrapped it so he wouldn't be Party wouldn't be able to hear me with his surprisingly sharp hearing.

I had to sit up and use the fire to illuminate the semi messy handwriting that had parts struck out with some jagged drawings on the side.

"Give up or give it a shot. Dedication, to the places that you never need to hide. Occupations, the opportunity to see yourself in a light," I whispered the words to myself, finding it easier to read them out loud to see if I got the scribbles right, "and all the city fires and the tabloid lies and the television guys. For the missions and the boulevards and the way it is when money's all you got." This was great, I can't get why he'd try to burn the page.

"Stop and stare at the accidents and stars that bore you. We don’t dare to sing another song for California. Well, anywhere where the city lights are hopeless for you, we don’t care or need another song for California."

"Shut up and clvr me a shot. On vacation, to the places that you never want to die. On the statlon, everybody bears but no one needs to try. On the felephone, on the nethane dare. Every minute that you scream. Before the errant scaks and the jying stars, every second that you fake to take your life." I frowned, the words didn't sound right, I know Party could get a little crazy with things sometimes but that definitely wasn't the correct words.

"Shut up and give me a shot. On vacation, to the places that you never want to die. On the station, everybody hears but no one needs to try. On the telephone, on the methane dare. Every minute that you scream. Before the errant scars and the dying stars, every second that you take to fake your life." I jumped slightly when I heard the same line sung and turned to see that Party had turned around and was looking at me while propped up on an elbow.

"Uh, what did you say?"

"Shut up and give me a shot. On vacation, to the places that you never want to die. On the station, everybody hears but no one needs to try. On the telephone, on the methane dare. Every minute that you scream. Before the errant scars and the dying stars, every second that you take to fake your life. That's how the songs supposed to be sung, you got the words wrong, that's okay." I quickly crumpled the paper up once more and hid it in my sleeping bag, embarrassment taking over from being caught.

"I thought you were asleep." I said, moving further under the single blanket and resisting the urge to hide my head from pure shame.

"And I thought you were asleep, I got the idea you weren't when you started repeating my lyrics." He smirked and pushed his red hair out of his face, taking a glance at the fire then looking back at me.

"I've had a lot on my mind, it's not so easy to shut your brain off, especially when I have an IQ higher than Ghoul's." It was kinda mean to take a jab at Fun but Party snorted, obviously finding it funny and not caring I insulted his friend.

"Like what?"

"Like the fact you were just using me with a full intent to get my clothes off and me on my back?" I tried to glare at him but couldn't, hearing the lines from yet another song had softened me up and I was too tired to keep up an attitude.

"I won't deny it, I really, really wanted to see you naked when you ran into me on the street but you changed how I felt. I'd still love to see you naked, again, and I'd just as happily take you anytime but what I said earlier, about having someone you want to spend all your time with...the methane sky, hiding from acid rain, I meant it. That was you I was talking about what we have, I don't know what to call it but I want to keep it up." I didn't know what I should say next and had to give myself a moment or two to think up a way to not sound like an idiot.

"But when you met me you thought of me as a short term form of entertainment." I stated dryly, we both knew he couldn't talk his way out of what he admitted but I at least wanted an apology, no matter how tiny it may be.

"I know and I'm sorry but I'm not used to being around real girls. All the dust angels out here are basically like Ghoul, they're as interested in love and romance as he is. After a while you just get used to treating people like that."

"So I'm just 'people' then? You had to explain to me what a cigarette is before, do you know that I don't even know how I'm supposed to act out here?" My voice had gotten a little louder than I meant for it to and I had to remind myself to lower it so I didn't wake the Killjoys up.

"No, I never said that and you may not have noticed but you've got that whole tough chick act on the whole time. I only realised recently what a kid you are, why do you think I toned it down with trying to sleep with you?" He may have been trying to be nice but instead he'd screwed up and flat out insulted me without even realising it.

"I'm a kid?"

"I didn't mean it like that, I meant you aren't all toughened up by what's happened over the years. You got to skip it and that shows, you're innocent because of it and that's what I love about you. You have a sense of wonder no one else has. It's like to you everything that happens, no matter how small, is amazing and new and you're always intrigued by it. It's beautiful." Party's face lit up in a smile but I remained skeptical about what he was saying, he lied to me at the start, enough to make me think I was having some real feelings for him.

"So what, you were planning on kindly introducing me to sex?" I sat up a little more and cocked my head to the side, hoping for a normal, uncryptic response this time.

"Before yes, now...we can go as slow as you want." My eyebrow went up.

"Are you referring to the sex as go slow or the relationship?" He chuckled and I pulled my lips into a thin line, not finding it as funny as he did.

"The second ones definite and the first, is optional." Party shrugged and continued to smile before kicking his shoes off, leaving his feet bare but he continued to lie on top of his sleeping bag as if it were the middle of the afternoon.

"You seem pretty damn sure that we're still in a relationship." I commented, getting ready to turn around and go to sleep, we were pretty much going around in a circle. Him trying to explain and me not wanting to listen.

Yep I'm fully aware that I don't really want his apology but at least I'm not swearing my head off at him like I could be if I wanted to. Is that mean for me to say?
I am giving him a chance to explain himself, I should get some credit for that.

"I'm not 'pretty damn sure that we're still in a relationship' but I'd like for us to be. I'll probably screw up since I've never actually dated someone and out here you're not expected to date anyone. I don't know what to do on anniversaries or what a real date is and I'm not ever gonna be sure if I'm doing romance right. I'm not saying I want to be an official boyfriend and girlfriend either, I just want to try because if we get too serious and I ruin it then it'll only make things worse." I sighed then lay down again, his words managing to make me completely change my mind, like usual Party was skilled in the art of thought fuckery.

"For fucks sake will you two just make the fuck up so I can go to sleep!" Poison and I both jumped when we heard Ghoul's voice chime in, annoyed and whiny since we must have kept him up for half an hour.

"Will you consider it then? Forgiving me and taking me back?"

"Party, I don't know. I'll have to think about it." I chewed on my lip and lay my head on my arm.

"Good, hear that, Part? She's gonna think about it now please shut up!" Ghoul's voice got louder and ended with a groan, he's probably had a long day and has had to do a lot more running around than either Party or I.

Party didn't appear as if he wanted to say anything else so I turned around with my back to him because I very well knew that trying to fall asleep while looking at the redhead would do me no favours at all. Other than the occasion pop and hiss from the fire things in the campsite remained quiet, much unlike my head which was babbling nonstop like some kind of hyperactive, magically talking squirrel.

After fully listening to him I felt bad and wanted to take back everything I said but at the same time felt he should suffer just a little longer because I can be a horrible person like that.

There was the sound of a loud puffed out breath, looks like the cold's beginning to get to one of the guys. No surprise, they didn't have all that much weight on and nobody was truly immune to the cold. Girl for example slept in with Kobra to keep warm when she got too cold.

I'd actually forgotten it for a little while but thinking of the temperature reminded me that I was freezing and a strong shudder ran through my body, strong enough to make my teeth chatter.

"Electric." Party's voice whispered and I curled myself into a ball to keep in some heat.

"Yeah?"

"I'm cold, can I come and get in with you?" I closed my eyes and took a couple of long, deep breaths, considering what I wanted to say next.

"Yeah."

There was a rustling of blankets as Poison stood up and and walked over to me, then some more rustling when he unzipped the sleeping bag and got in, me not daring to move since I was only letting him get in because he's cold. His arms wrapped around my waist and I was surprised, not because he was touching me but because he was far from freezing, he was the same temperature as he'd be any other time.

"Party, you're fine. Your skin feels warm." I murmured as he moved closer to me, nuzzled his face into my neck and let out a small sigh.

"I know, but I'm cold on the inside."

Notes